[CART09] Bryce Canyon

The quote of the day today was my mom's observation that Bryce Canyon is simply "...too much eye candy!" We opted for the "reverse route" today, driving the full 18 miles to the tip of the plateau (Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point) first -- then stopping at the half-dozen or so vistas on our way out of the park. Our first photo is of the girls at Rainbow Point, overlooking some of the more scenic "hoodoos" (rock pillars carved by erosion).

Mom/"Grandmama" joined us at the point for another photo. Renee suggested that this trip is misnamed: rather than CAlifornia Road Trip/CART, it should be National Parks Trek/NiPiT. This inspired me to go one step further: the unofficial moniker is now "NaPO", "NAtional Parks Overload.

O.K., cynicism purged.... Despite the still-smoldering "July 16th Fire" (that's the day it was contained on the park grounds), we were still able to see Navajo Mountain and -- at the right-half horizon in the photo above -- the Grand Canyon's Kaibab Plateau. Both are more than 80 miles away from our perch at 9,110' above sea level on Bryce Canyon's Yovimpa Point.

We enjoyed the reflected waning sunlight at the appropriately-named "Sunset Point".

One of the most spectacular drives in the nation is Interstate 15 in Arizona. While it only spends 29 miles in the state, half of those miles pass through the Virgin River Gorge -- claustrophobes should find another route!

Equally impressive is Utah's State Route 14 eastward from Cedar City, which is the most direct route to Bryce Canyon from the southwest. Next time we'll meander through Zion National Park -- another spectacular route through some of the most scenic plateaus and canyons in Utah.

Tomorrow we've opted for the direct route to Durango (via Interstate 70 then a state highway through Moab, allowing me to scope out future mountain biking adventures). There we'll link up with Renee's dad and his wife -- and a Thursday three-car caravan into Colorado Springs!